Discussion

We performed a user survey a few months back. The number of users looking for "hook-ups" was actually the small minority. I don't have the results handy so I can't provide any actual numbers. Anecdotally, as a 32 year old user of the app, I rarely, if ever, meet or talk to women using the app as a hook-up app. Most say that they have multiple friends who've found their boyfriends using the app.

I use Tinder casually as entertainment, not necessarily to meet people IRL. The app has always been a more social experience than traditional dating sites -- it's not uncommon to see friends "tindering" together in person. #TinderMoments creates more opportunities for people to use the app day-to-day, sharing moments that (frankly) make them look cool. :)
Related: @libovness wrote a good essay on this a while back: An Ode to Tinder. I also wrote an article on Pando, describing (imho) why Tinder's so compelling.

@rrhoover - We obviously have many plans for Tinder but Moments was a feature we felt truly compelled to create. Ever since I believe the second version of the iOS app we've had those random text teasers in attempt to get conversations started. Believe me, the conversations do start. People send lots and lots of messages. That said, we felt like we could do better. Photos are something people take and post to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and countless other services. So many users on Tinder already list their Instagram handle on their pre-match descriptions. Photos are obviously something people want to share and en masse. It was only natural to allow our users to be able to do the same on the Tinder platform. This is how the modern world communicates and expresses itself. What better way to get to know your matches than by sharing glimpses of your life.

@mulligan I think you miss the main point here which is to give you more ways to interact with people you have just started to meet / get to know. With that at the core, lots of opportunities to spin up more ways to share. Graph is important and unique here